


warm amongst the lights

by silverkatana



Category: SECHSKIES (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, M/M, Merry Christmas, ambiguously platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 06:52:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17137049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverkatana/pseuds/silverkatana
Summary: jaijin doesn't really have anyone to celebrate christmas with, so naturally he ends up seeking out jiwon.





	warm amongst the lights

Jaijin watches the lights being strung up across the neighbouring houses, the red-green of Christmas decorations across the city bright and obnoxious even in the dark of the night, and he settles into the comfort of his own bed turning his gaze away from the window that allows the faint hues of Christmas lights to seep into his room.

 

It’s not like he celebrates Christmas with anything more than minimal effort, and most of the time he just spends the 25th sitting alone at home unless he’s dragged out by his sister for dinner (there was once Jaeduck insisted on a trip to Busan, too, and he visited his close friends while he was there so it wasn’t all that bad). This time, though, she already has plans with the family and her friends and won’t be able to eat out with him, something she is very apologetic for but something he doesn’t mind in the slightest.

 

It’s not a  _ bad  _ thing to stay at home, after all - in fact, he’s quite fond of it. He never sees the point in fancy social gatherings and interacting with a bunch of people, nor does he find much meaning in going over-the-top with decorations and festivities aside from the traditional gift-exchanging and church services.

 

During Christmas in his country, it’s common to spend the day celebrating with friends - but the majority of them are in Busan, and the few he has in Seoul (members included) probably already have plans to go out with their friends or lovers. He’s aware that Jaeduck is probably celebrating with either Tony or Suwon, having mentioned something about competing over who can set up the better decorations at home with the former and lunch with the latter. Sunghoon - he doesn’t know, but he’s awkward with Sunghoon anyway, so the likeliness of the two of them celebrating together is close to zero; Jiyong’s busy with the family, and Jiwon -

 

He pauses, thinking of the one year older man. He expects that Jiwon isn’t going to do much for Christmas either, knowing him - maybe that’s one of the reasons why they’ve been able to get along well (most of the time, at least), with their similar opinions involving subjects like these. Or perhaps their love of just staying at home and minding their own businesses.

 

His phone vibrates in his palm - a text message from his sister; he isn’t really surprised, considering how only a handful of people have access to his number, and she would be the only one messaging him instead of preparing for Christmas.

 

_ Go and spend Christmas with your friends instead of moping around at home. _

 

Well. His sister knows him well.

 

But then again, he shouldn’t be surprised, since at least three-quarters of his Christmases have been spent ‘moping around at home’ as she so kindly worded it.

 

He turns to gaze out of glass windows again at the garish colours of Christmas lights that kiss the roads, and the decorations that are woven into bits and pieces of the city to give off that festive mood that he’s never really found it within himself to enjoy. People always say that walking on the streets to look at the festive decorations is always best after dinner when the colours come alive and ablaze against the dark backdrop of buildings blended into the ebony of the night sky.

 

He’s never walked along the street to appreciate the decorations, nor can he recall what a festive mood feels like, nor has he ever taken part in any festivities aside from the typical traditions. 

 

The lights shine brightly, flickering and blinding in their luminescence, and their glow catches the smiles written across the faces of groups of people walking - teenage girls gaping at the beauty of the city and laughing in animated conversations with their friends, couples in their twenties huddled together hands-on-waist and faint blushes across their cheeks, elderly pairs taking leisurely strolls along the pavements to enjoy the festivities. Jaijin marvels at the way they are all wrapped as tightly as possible in their long coats, cheeks flush from the cold and breath escaping visibly from parted lips - and yet still look so warm in the open night air.

 

A thought crosses his mind, one sudden and impulsive and out of the ordinary thought that he isn’t sure belongs to him, but the more he stares out the window at the lights and the laughing blurs of people, the thought only makes itself more prominent in his mind.

 

_ Maybe this time I should learn what it feels like. _

 

That is precisely how he finds himself outside of Jiwon’s house at ten at night on Christmas Eve, hesitating on his doorstep and wondering if he’ll be kicked out before he even gets to step into the house.

 

He rings the doorbell anyway, and he’s greeted by a long silence.

 

For a moment he contemplates turning away and heading home, but he’s already made his way here, and the stubborn side of him refuses to give up so quickly, so he ends up pressing the doorbell for the second time. And then the third.

 

It’s getting cold and he’s growing impatient, and he’s caught between potentially breaking the doorbell with the number of times he’s going to ring it or just heading back home and putting off celebrating Christmas with some company to a different year when the door creaks open and he’s met with a very surprised and somewhat irritated Eun Jiwon.

 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Jiwon asks bluntly.

 

“I felt like coming here,” he answers truthfully, Jiwon eyeing him with a raised eyebrow as he creaks back the door to allow Jaijin to seek refuge from the cold of winter. “It’s not like you ever do anything for Christmas either.”

 

Jiwon sighs dramatically and mutters out a, “Doesn’t mean you should come here”, but Jaijin’s known him for over two decades and knows him well enough to understand that he isn’t complaining about it for real. It’s just not in his nature to be nice enough to invite other people into his house so they wouldn’t spend the holidays in solitude.

 

“Hyung,” Jaijin says, making his way over to the windows in the living room - the lights are even clearer and brighter from here as compared to his own house - “Want to go for a walk together?”

 

Jiwon turns to face him, eyebrows furrowed and lips twitching into a confused half-frown, and barely manages to utter out a, “What?”

 

“The lights are pretty, aren’t they?” Jaijin questions, pointing out the window at the colours that line the streets of Seoul, “They always say that it’s nice to take a walk down the streets during Christmas with your friends, lovers or family, you know. I brought my camera, let’s go and take some pictures.”

 

Jiwon doesn’t share his sentiments, apparently. “What do you think you’re doing, coming to my house and dragging me out to walk?” he grumbles, leaning back against the backrest of his sofa, “It’s cold out, Jaijin-ah.”

 

“When was the last time you walked around to see the Christmas lights?” he retorts, and Jiwon falls silent in his contemplations for a minute, eventually responding with a grudging  _ I’ve never. _

 

“Then let’s walk around together for the first time,” Jaijin mutters, and before Jiwon can think that it’s because he wants to spend time together, he quickly throws in, “I want to take pictures.”

 

Eventually, Jiwon gives up, or maybe it’s because he has nothing to do anyway - Jaijin prefers to think of it as him winning the debate - and gets changed into more suitable clothes for the wintry weathers before following Jaijin outside, mumbling little complaints all the while.

 

They step outside, the chill hitting their cheeks, and as they make their way towards the main streets they wrap their coats a little closer around their bodies; it gets bitingly cold late at night, not as cold as some other provinces, but cold nonetheless.

 

And then they lift their eyes to look at the lights right in front of them for the first time.

 

Not through glass windows or computer screens - just  _ right there _ , shining and radiant and vivid in the blur of contrasting colours, dappled sprinkles of bright colour across the landscape of Seoul. Jiwon falls silent, and aside from the chattering of other passing pairs or groups all is quiet as the two of them rest their gazes upon the lights that they have walked out to see for the first time.

 

“It’s pretty,” Jiwon comments under his breath, but in the stillness of the air, Jaijin hears him anyway. Murmuring in agreement, he lifts his camera to capture the way the blend of dazzling colours dance across the dark of the night and the plain faint glows of after-dark shops. 

 

The first shutter sound goes off, of the lights lining the main street and reflected in the polished glass of shop windows and casting out illuminations against the otherwise dull road. 

 

The second shutter sound goes off, of the Christmas decorations and lights in the further-off distance, strung along street lamps and high-rise buildings.

 

The third shutter sound goes off, of his grinning face and Jiwon’s startled one with a half-smile out of instinct.

 

“Why did you take a picture of us without telling me?” Jiwon yells at him immediately after he lowers the camera, “Delete that!”

 

“No,” he responds playfully, raising the camera once again, “Smile properly this time, then.”

 

Jiwon opens his mouth to open, but closes it again and ends up smiling for the camera with his right hand held up in a peace sign as well. Jaijin imitates him, holding the fingers in his left hand up in the shape of a V, and smiles broadly for the camera.

 

The fourth shutter sound goes off, of both of them with rare wide smiles and matching poses, cheeks flushed and faces bright with the casting of Christmas lights across their expressions.

 

Now Jaijin thinks he understands why the people he saw looked so warm even if they were walking out in the winter cold.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hope you have a merry christmas!


End file.
